I have lived in Puerto Vallarta Mexico for 5 years and have never seen such devastation to the economy that the swine flu scare has caused. In Vallarta alone more then 15% of the population is now out of work because of the scare mongering techniques employed by CNN, Fox and the US government. How rediculous. Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco, and our border states of Nayarit to the north and Colima to the south have remained flu free since the start of this whole thing. Resorts are literally closing up as we speak and many people are starving.

I really feel this whole thing is some kind of conspiracy to bring Mexico to its knees. Bilions of revenue has been lost. The government here contained th flu in a matter of days. They closed all schools theatres, bars, restaurants, places where people gather in large numbers and they successfully stopped the spread.

The US, Canada and other countries should take a cue from the Mexican government rather then point fingers and saying not to come here.

Too Much Stress…

There are always measures to mitigate the worst of the ordeal. If you’re wealthy (but not wealthy enough to have access to a private jet), you can fly first class and use a “baggage concierge” service to bypass the dodgy checked baggage system. If you’re not wealthy (and even if you are), you can still “get out and travel” by considering destinations that don’t require flying. That doesn’t necessarily mean a “staycation.” You can at least research what Amtrak and Greyhound have to offer. You might find (as I did) that they’re not viable options where you live. But you might also find ideas for wonderful vacations you never would have thought of if you hadn’t done the research.

Many of us have the notion that “get out and travel” is synonymous with flying. Open your mind to the possibility that this notion isn’t always true, and at least consider other options (including the oft-maligned “staycation”– buy a good guidebook for your area and read about what you might have missed!). You may indeed decide that the joy of visiting far-off destinations is worth the price of suffering with the TSA, risking lost baggage, and spending ten hours wedged into a middle seat. Or you could decide that it might be fun to take a bus ride to that interesting museum in your home town that you hadn’t heard of before. You could also do both things.